Street-sweeper.



No. 662,057. Patentedlov. 20, I900. W. J. COWAN. STREET SWEEPER. (Application filed Ala- 30, 1900.

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No. 662,057. PatentedNov; 20, I900.

W. J. CUWAN.

STREET SWEEPEB. [Application filed Apr. 30, 1900.;

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WILLIAM J CQW'AN, OF KANSAS CITY, MISSOURI.

STREET-SWEEPER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 662,057, dated November 20, 1900.

Application filed A il 30, 1900. Serial No. 14.829. \No model.)

To all whmn it nuty concern.-

. Be it known that 1. WILLIAM J. OowAN, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Kansas City, in the county of Jackson and State of Missouri, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Street-Sweepers, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates. to improvements in street-sweeping machines, and aims to provide a street-sweeper of simple and economical construction which is capable of efficient and rapid work; and my invention relates particularly to a compressing device mounted above the box which forms the receptacle for the sweepings, the object of which device is to compress the matter swept up and carried by the operation of the machine into such box, especially snow, dead leaves, or other light sweepings, thereby greatly increasing the capacity of the machine in respect to the quantity of matter which it is possible to take up before dumping is required.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a view of the sweeper, partly in side elevation and partly in longitudinal central vertical sect-ion, various parts being broken away to show parts otherwise hidden. Fig. 2 is a top plan view. Fig. 3 is arear end elevation with one of the rear doors of the body of the box in place in closed position and the other door removed. Fig. 4 is a view of the lower end of the lifter-rod and a cross-section of the bracket engaged thereby for elevating and lowering the rotary brush. Fig. 5 is a side view of one of the hangers attached to the frame in which the shaft of the rotary brush is journaled.

The main wheels 1 2 are connected by a cranked axle 3, and on said axle is rigidly secured a preferably rectangular box or body 4. Said box 4 is normally closed upon all sides and at the top and bottom, excepting an opening 5 in its front end, hereinafter described. Its rear end is provided with hinged doors 6, one of which is shown in Fig. 3. To the lower portion of the sides of said'box are secured in any preferred manner side bars 7 S, which exend forward parallel with the box for a suitable distance and then turn inwardly at a right angle, after which th ey converge inwardly and upwardly, as shown in Figs. 1 and 2, until they meet and are rigidly united above the axle 9 of the front wheels 10 11, to which axle they are attached by the king-bolt 12, the usualfifth-wheel 13 being interposed. The converging portions of said bars are connected by a strengthening-brace 14, and arms 15 also extend forward from the upward bend in each of said bars and engage the king-bolt. Near the front end of the substantially rectangular frame formed by said side bars is mounted transversely in hangers 16, Fig. 5, a rotary brush 17 of any preferred construction. The axis of said brush is journaled in blocks 18, which are free to reciprocate vertically in grooves in said hangers. (Shown in dotted lines in Fig. 5.) On the outer ends of said axis are mounted sprocket-wheels 19 20, over which pass sprocket-chains 21 22, extending rearwardly and passing over sprocket-rings 23 24, secured on the inner sides of the rear wheels 1 2, by means of which chains rotation in the proper direction is imparted to the brush when the vehicle moves forward. To the front end of the box 4, immediately above the longitudinal opening 5, before referred to, is hinged an inclined movable chute 25. Said opening and said chute extend entirely across the machine, the length of the opening, the width of the chute, and the length of the rotary brush being substantially the same. Said chute 25 consists of a fiat tube of Wood or sheet metal, rectangular in cross-section, closed at the top, sides, and bottom, having its open upper end opposite the opening 5 in box 4 and its open lower end opposite and immediately in rear of the brush 17 in such a position as to receive the sweepings delivered or thrown from the brush.

The front edge of the bottom of the chute the upper port-ion of bracket 27 is rotatably secured in any preferred manner the lower end of a lifterrod 28, which extends vertically upward and passes through a sleeve 29, provided with internal threads which engage external threads on said rod. As shown in Fig. 4, the lower end of said rod is provided with a removable circular collar ortiange 30, secured thereon by a set-screw 31. Said collar fits into a circular recess in the top of the bracket, and above it, within said recess, is placed a suitable washer or packing 32. A cap 33, surrounding the rod and screwed to the bracket, covers the recess and holds the bracket on the rod. On the upper end of said lift-rod 28 is mounted a hand-wheel 34 for rotating said rod. Said sleeve 29 is supported by brace-rods 35, preferably four in number, which extend outward and downward from said sleeve to rigid connections with side bars 7 8 or other suitable part of the frame. Said sleeve 29 and lift-rod 28 are also supported by braces 36, extending to the front of box 4. Upon said last-mentioned braces is supported a seat 37 for the driver. It is obvious that when the hand-wheel 34 is rotated by the operator in the proper direction brush 17 will be raised, drawing after it the lower end of the chute 25, and when it is rotated in the opposite direction the brush and chute will be lowered. The operator is thus enabled to raise or lower the brush and chute at will, according to the character of the work to be done or for the purpose of passing obstacles in the roadway, &c. The bottom of chute 25 is preferably not attached to box 4 at its upper end, but has a curved portion 38, (shown in Fig. 1,) which extends over the lower edge of the opening 5 in the front of the box, so that it will remain in engagement therewith when the chute is lifted. It is contemplated that most of the refuse matters swept by the brush will be thrown up the chute and into box 4 by the momentum received from the rotation of the brush; but to assist and supplement such action an endless apron or belt 39 is provided, passing over rollers 40 41, secured in hearings on the under side of the chute and passing through transverse openings therein. The shaft of the lower roller 41 extends outward beyond the frame and carries at its outer end a pulley 42, which engages a crossed band 43, pass ing over a corresponding pulley 44 on the end of the brush-shaft, whereby movement body 4 are provided transverse rollers 46 to facilitate the removal and replacement of the dirt-receptacle, the intention being to remove the same as soon as filled and replace it by a fresh one, the filled receptacle to be hauled away to the dum ping-ground by another vehicle, so that the sweeper may continue its work without interruption. Within the box 4 and immediately over the dirt-receptacle 45 is suspended a pressure-plate 47,0f wood or metal, of substantially the same length and width as the dirt-receptacle 45, flat on its under surface and provided on its upper surface with strengthening cleats or ribs 48. -Said pressure-plate 47 is suspended on a central stem 49, which passes up through the top of the body 4 and through a sleeve 50, mounted thereon, andis pivoted at 51 above said sleeve to a cross-bar 52, which extends across said top and carries at its outer ends depending pull-rods 53 54, which extend downward in line with the axis of the wheels on the outside of the body 4 and are movably secured thereon in keepers 55. A spring 50', surrounding said sleeve 50, is interposed between the top of the body and said cross-bar, the stress of which tends to throw the crossbar and the plate 47, depending therefrom, upward to the position shown in Figs. 1 and 3. The lower ends of said pull-rods 53 54 carry short shafts projecting outwardly toward the wheels,on which shafts are mounted rollers 57. On theinner sides of the main wheels 1 2 are attached by clips or otherwise to two or more of the spokes cam-plates 58, whose lower edges have a downward curvature. The rollers 57 on pull-rods 53 54 extend into the path traversed by said cams 58 when the wheels 1 2 are rotated, the rollers engaging the curved inner edges of the cams, so that with each rotation of the wheels rods 53 54 are drawn downward, depressing crossbar 52, stem 49, and plate 47 against the stress of spring 52 into the position shown in Fig. 3. After the cam has passed the roller the action of spring 56 restores the parts to raised position.

The operation of the machine has been sub- .firmly packing and solidifying the contents of the dirt-receptacle, thus increasing the capacity of the machine.

It is obvious that a removable dirt-receptacle, though a matter of convenience, is not at all essential to the full operation ofthe machine and that the body 4 mayitself serve as the dirt-receptacle, the rear doors opening into the same being firmly secured, so as to resist any pressure from the contained body of material being acted on by the compression device which may be brought against them. I therefore do not limit my invention to the removable dirt-receptacle shown and described.

Having described myinvention, I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent 1. In a street-sweeper,the combination with the running-gear, a cranked axle connecting the main wheels, aclosed body or box mounted on said axle, side bars connecting said body with the front axle and a rotary brush mounted on a horizontal shaft, between said side bars, in vertically-adjustable bearings, and means for rotating said brush, of a bracket located at the longitudinal center of the brush-shaft and containing a bearing through which said shaft passes, a vertical lifter-rod rotatably secured in said bracket, a threaded sleeve through which said lifter-rod passes, means for rotating said rod, and suitable braces secured to the frame for supporting said sleeve and lifter-rod, substantially as set forth.

2. In a street-sweeper, in combination with suitable running-gear, an inclosed body or box, having a transverse opening in its front end, an inclined chute extending downward from said opening, a rotary brush mounted horizontally at the lower end of said chute, and means for rotating said brush, of a bracket located centrally on and inclosing the brush-shaft, a vertical lifter-rod rotatably secured at its lower end in said bracket, a threaded sleeve above said bracket, through which said lifter-rod passes, suit-able braces extending to the frame, for supporting said sleeve, and means for rotating said rod, substantially as set forth.

3. In a street-sweeper,in combination with suitable running-gear, an inclosed body or box having an opening in its front end, and

an inclined chute hinged to said body, opposite said opening, and extending downwardly therefrom, of a rotary brush mounted on a horizontal shaft journaled in vertically-adjustable bearings in the frame, means for rotating said brush, a bracket located centrally on and inclosing said shaft, a flexible connection between said bracket and the lower end of said hinged chute, a vertical lifter-rod rotata-bly secured at its lower endin said bracket, a threaded sleeve above said bracket, through which said rod passes, supporting-braces extending from said sleeve to the frame, and means for rotating said rod, to raise or lower said brush and said chute simultaneously, substantially as set forth.

4. In a street-sweeper,the combination with suitable running-gear, an inclosed body or box mounted above the axle of the main wheels, a rotary brush mounted at the front of the machine, means for rotating saidbrush, and an inclined chute through which matter taken up by said brush is carried into said body, of a compression-plate mounted within said body, a cross-bar above said body, a suitable connection between said cross-bar and said plate, a spring interposed between said body and said cross-bar to hold the latter and said plate normally in elevated position, camplates secured on the main wheels, pull-rods depending from the ends of said cross-bar, and roller-arms on said pull-rods extending laterally from said rods into the path of said cam-plates, whereby said cross-bar and plate are depressed,against the stress of said spring, with each revolution of said wheels, substantially as set forth.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in the presence of two witnesses.

WILLIAM J. OOWAN.

IVitnesses:

K M. IMBODEN, F. A. SPENCER. 

